Landlocked though it may be in Kansas City, Missouri, the new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts certainly makes a splash. Designed by architect Moshe Safdie, the building rises like waves from a five-acre park that neighbors both the Crossroads Arts District and the Sprint Center arena. The maritime forms, clad in bead-blasted stainless steel, contain two acoustically isolated venues: the Muriel Kauffman Theatre (named for the late local arts patron) and Helzberg Hall, home to the Kansas City Symphony. Whereas the former is horseshoe shaped and lined with balconies featuring balustrades of cast resin and crumpled Mylar, the latter is a wood-paneled oval with vineyard seating that brings the audience close to the music. Connecting the two spaces is a glass atrium, which opens onto an expansive terrace and promises to help bring some song, dance, and drama to the city beyond.

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